This film of the Washburn Lignite Coal mine was taken August 28, 1916. Frithjof Holmboe was born in Oslo, Norway in 1879, and immigrated to the United States with his family in 1882, settling in Minneapolis. He was a photographer for Northern Pacific before opening his first photographic studio in New Salem, N.D. in 1907. In 1909, he moved to Bismarck, setting up a studio across from the McKenzie (now Patterson) Hotel. He became interested in motion pictures in 1913, and formed the Publicity Film Company soon after. He contracted with the North Dakota Dept. of Immigration and various counties to produce promotional films to encourage relocation to North Dakota. He also contracted with businesses and produced commercial films about products agricultural and artistic. He left North Dakota in 1921 and died in California in 1967.